This invention relates to a system for displaying merchandise that has a narrow elongated body and a head that is wider than that body. Such merchandise includes mops, brooms, rakes, hoes, certain tools, etc.
This type of merchandise has typically been displayed upright in a tall bin. However, this display system is an inefficient use of merchandise display space. It also falls over easily and appears disorganized to the consumer.
Pegboards--a supporting surface containing a series of holes that are the same size, aligned horizontally and vertically, and equidistant from each other--have also been widely used in display systems for merchandise with a narrow elongated body and a head that is wider than that body. These systems often include a wire support member with two rear projections that are inserted into the pegboard holes. These two rear projections are angled upward to help retain the wire support member in the pegboard. Merchandise is hung through a hole, on a single front projection of the wire support member. The tip of this front projection is often angled upward to help retain the merchandise. However, this type of display system is not strong--the weight of many heavy mops and brooms might cause the wire support member to sink down and the merchandise to fall off. This type of display system is also not stable--when the consumer removes merchandise from the wire support member, the support member often disengages from the pegboard and the display must be set up anew. Furthermore, in order to reposition groups of merchandise that are displayed using this system, each individual merchandise unit must be removed from the wire support member and replaced, one at a time, on the repositioned support member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,428 discloses a support member, for use with a pegboard, that is locked to the pegboard by rear projections that are long enough to clear the rear face of the pegboard and that have tabs, which when inserted into the pegboard, overlap and engage the rear face of the pegboard. Although this invention may solve the stability problems encountered with traditional pegboard systems, it is not strong and does not make it easier or more efficient to reposition merchandise on the pegboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,964 discloses a holder for "pin-packs" that when filled with merchandise can be repositioned on the pegboard. The holder has a horizontal arm, one end of which has means for insertion into a pegboard and the other end of which has a carrying assembly, a horizontal pin that is removably connected to the arm, and a cutting assembly connected to the pin. Although this invention allows merchandise to be repositioned without removing each unit from the holder, it does not solve the stability problem.
Even merchandise display systems designed specifically for mops, brooms, rakes, hoes, and the like have many functional deficiencies. U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,663 discloses a merchandise display system that permits lateral adjustment of the merchandise without requiring the removal and replacement of the hooks from which the merchandise is hung. This system comprises a pegboard, a plurality of horizontal tracks comprising vertically spaced horizontal rails and integral pegboard securing fasteners. The tracks are placed horizontally on the pegboard at various vertically and transversely spaced locations. Each track includes at least an upper and a lower rail for removable engagement and support of a plurality of various shaped product support hooks. The mop and broom hooks used in this system comprise a pair of horizontally spaced arms of generally trapezoidal configuration. These arms may be downwardly inclined so that when a mop or broom is removed from the display, the remaining mops or brooms will slide forward automatically. These arms may also have bent retainers that prevent a mop or broom from unintentionally falling off the display. The arms terminate at their pegboard ends in upper and lower bent catches. The bent catches allow the hook to be attached to a horizontal track. Although this display system is an improvement over earlier display systems, it is still unstable, allows hooks to be repositioned only within a narrow lateral range, and cannot be adjusted to accommodate many different widths of narrow elongated merchandise bodies.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,921 discloses a display system for "long handled articles such as brooms, mops and the like" (stick merchandise) and for "smaller articles, usually packages, displayed by being hung from pegs" (peg merchandise). The system comprises stick merchandise storage and display compartments, and peg merchandise storage and display compartments that alternate with the stick merchandise compartments. These compartments are formed by intersecting merchandise support frames that form a lattice-like structure that may be assembled without fastening means. The features of this display system include efficient utilization of display space, attractiveness to the consumer, and high resistance to being tipped over. However, this display system cannot easily be adjusted to accommodate many different widths of narrow elongated merchandise bodies, it is difficult to reposition the display without having to remove and replace each individual merchandise unit, and it does not make use of the traditional pegboard supports that are already in place in many displays.